lifespan development Flashcards
how is development defined
-development over the life span is multi-directional, multi-contextual, multi-cultural, and plastic.
-it is a science that depends on theories, data, analysis, etc.
mult-directional
if all human traits were charted from birth to death, some traits would appear, others disappear, increase, decrease, spiral, etc.
multicontextual
everyone is profoundly affected by their surroundings.
Scientific method
- begin with curiosity
- develop a hypothesis
- test the hypothesis
- draw conclusions
- report the results
what is the lifespan approach
the lifespan approach takes into account ALL phases of life and all aspects of development.
what are the “multis” of the lifespan approach?
This perspective is multidisciplinary, with insights from psychology, biology, history, and sociology.
what are two theories at the intersection of nature or nuture?
some people believe that most traits are inborn-someone is innately good or bad
others believe that the environment has everything to do with who they become
differential susceptibility
the impact of any good or bad experience might be magnified or inconsequential, depending on genes OR experiences
(dandelion or orchid metaphor)
what is the concept of discontinuity in human development
change can occur rapidly and dramatically, qualitative change
ex: when caterpillars become butterflies
how does continuity in human development differ from discontinuity?
continuity is different from discontinuity because it is a gradual timeline, quantitative change
ex: redwoods
what are the assumptions of discontinuity theories?
abruptness assumption,
concurrence assumption, coherent organization assumption
abruptness assumption
development involves sudden, qualitative changes rather than a gradual, incremental progress
ex: one day the baby is scooting, then the next day they begin crawling in an advanced way.
concurrence assumption
multiple or new skills or abilities emerge at the same time
ex: as the baby moves from crawling to walking, theres often a concurrent development on improving their balance, for example
coherent organization assumption
new skills or abilities develop in a logically organizes and integrated way, where each development builds on or reorganizes previous ones.
ex: when the baby finally begins to walk, this new ability is not random, but a coherent reorganization of earlier movements, like scooting or crawling.
critical periods
a time when something must occur for normal development, or the only time when an abnormality may arise.
ex: the critical period for humans to grow limbs is between 28-54 days
sensitive periods
this is when a particular development occurs more easily BUT not exclusively at a certain time.
ex: communicating through language
What is the main idea of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological model?
Bronfenbrenner believed that each person is affected by many social contexts and interpersonal interactions
microsystem
family, friends
exosystem
school, church
macrosystem
cultural values, economic policies
to say that something is “empirical” means that it is
based on data
race
social construct label used to categorize people based on physical appearance
ethnicity
belonging to a social group with a common cultural or national history /tradition
members of a given cohort experience the same
historical events at about the same age